All I Want for Christmas
by queenC-13
Summary: Swan Queen college AU based on the prompt "we're the only ones on campus who didn't go home for christmas"
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first time publishing to fanfiction (and writing fanfiction, instead of original fiction, in general) so any feedback would be greatly appreciated! :)**

The snow was falling in a curtain of flurries, making it hard for Emma to see. She had just left the art building, and was struggling to carry part of her final project. Craning her head around the canvas, she twisted her arm around to see her watch.

"6:03… dammit," she muttered to herself, quickening her pace gradually. As she reached into her pocket to try and get her phone she was suddenly met with the resistance of another human body.

"Whoa! Hey!" she shouted as she felt her feet start to slip out from under her. A hand was then wrapped around her arm, steadying her body upright.

"Phew, thanks…" she started to say to her savior of the night. As she lowered her canvas, she was met with the most startlingly beautiful eyes she had ever seen. "Wow," she whispered to herself, making the woman blush.

The woman smiled, "You almost took quite the fall there."

Emma shook her head with an embarrassed look, "Sorry about that. I'm in a hurry and I should have been watching where I was going."

"It's no trouble," the woman replied, her smile getting even wider.

_Jesus,_ Emma thought to herself._ She looks like an actual angel sent from God_. She shook her head then, remembering that she had to get home.

"I'm really sorry, but I really have to be going. Thanks again though…" she trailed off, realizing she hadn't gotten the woman's name.

"Regina," the woman finished for her. "I'm Regina Mills."

"Thank you, Regina," Emma said with a grin. "I'm Emma. I'm sorry to make this so abrupt, but how about I take you out for coffee sometime for a formal thank you? Unless you're going home for break," she quickly started to back track. "I'm sure you are… Maybe when you get back then? I mean unless you don't want to…"

"Emma, Emma stop," Regina said, putting her hand on Emma's arm. "I'd love to go for coffee."

"Really?! I mean, awesome, cool. Um, here, if I could just get my phone out of my pocket…" Emma said as she started twisting around her canvas again, finally getting it and handing it over to Regina.

As Regina put her number in the phone, Emma took the time to really look at her. She was wearing a black wool coat that went down to mid thigh and revealed tights and stylish black boots. She had a red scarf tied around her neck and her nose was a light shade of pink from the cold. Her ebony hair was styled to perfection, even with the windy night.

_She's too perfect to be real…_ Emma thought. _This is going to end up too good to be true. It always is._

She was broken out of her thoughts by Regina handing the phone back.

"I can't wait to see you again Emma," she told her, a shy smile lighting up her face. "And hopefully with less collisions next time!"

"No promises," Emma joked, gathering up her stuff to start on her way once again. "I'll have you know right now that I tend to be a bit of a klutz!" she yelled as she started running down the street.

Regina laughed as she watched Emma go, limbs flying everywhere and trying to keep a hold of her canvas.

"This is going to be a very interesting break," she said to herself as she continued walking in her own direction.


	2. Chapter 2

The elevator opened with a ding as Emma finally made her way down the hallway of her apartment building. She looked at her watch once again—6:34, a half hour late.

As she was turning her key in the lock, the door started to open from the inside.

"You're late," Emma's best friend, Ruby, said.

Emma groaned. "I know I know, I'm sorry. The weather is so horrible and then I ran into this girl and-"

"Hold up," Ruby interrupted. "A girl? What girl? Did you get her number? What did she look like?"

"Ruby! Calm down," Emma replied, putting her hands on her friend's shoulders. "Her name is Regina, _yes_ I got her number, and before you ask that's all I know about her because I was rushing to get home."

"Fine, fine," Ruby grumbled.

Emma laughed, knowing her friend wasn't really annoyed. "So how was he?"

"An angel, as usual," Ruby said with a smirk. "It's a wonder he's yours, given how perfect he acts."

"Oh shut up!" Emma shoved her friend. "He's in his room?"

When Ruby nodded, Emma made her way down the small hallway. She could hear the sounds of Spongebob passing Ruby's room and stopped in the doorway, observing for a second. The little boy was curled up in his bed, holding one of her old painting t-shirts, with his focus fully on the TV.

"Hey buddy," she said, drawing attention to herself.

"Mommy!" the little boy shouted, throwing himself at his mother.

"Hey Henry!" she replied, catching his small frame easily and bringing him close to her. "I missed you today," she told him, nuzzling into his head.

Henry hugged himself closer to his mother. "I missed you too Mommy. Aunt Ruby and I had so much fun though. First we made a gingerbread house and then we decorated the stockings she got for Christmas and then she helped me make my Christmas list!"

Emma listened as she walked with him down the hallway back to the kitchen. She looked at Ruby, who was gathering food out of the fridge to start on dinner.

"Is that right?" Emma said, looking at her friend.

"Yupp," Ruby replied. Santa's got some big wishes to fill this year," she said with a wink in Emma's direction.

Emma sighed, shaking her head. While she never regretted her decision to keep Henry, events such as Christmas and his birthday were always a little tight. She'd just have to work extra hard for it. Emma wanted Henry to get everything she never got as a child, and she would do anything to make it happen.

She swiftly put Henry in his high chair at the island, and then moved to help Ruby with dinner.

"So tell me more about your day buddy," she said to Henry, letting the sounds of his chatter fill the kitchen and helping her unwind in the best way.

….

Regina sighed as she slowly made her way up the stairs to her loft. Her eyes watered at the warm temperature in the building, and she could gradually feel her fingers turning back to normal.

She unlocked her front door and turned on the lights as she made her way to the kitchen. As she tried to decide what she should make for dinner, her thoughts kept flashing back to Emma… she didn't even get the girl's last name yet she was all Regina could think about now.

_Get ahold of yourself,_ Regina thought to herself. _You don't know anything about her; she could be a crazy person._

She shook her head, Emma seemed like a breath of fresh air; someone so different than the people she grew up around and was forced to spend time with.

Regina sighed again, her phone ringing bringing her out of her thoughts.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Regina," her mother's voice replied, causing a chill to run down Regina's back.

"Mother," she said. "What brings you to calling at this time of night?"

"I just wanted to remind you about the annual Christmas party, dear, and to ask if you were finally bringing a date to this one?"

Regina rolled her eyes, thankful that her mother couldn't see her. "No mother, once again there's no one coming with me."

As she spoke the words, however, she couldn't help her mind flashing to Emma. She shook her head—she would never put Emma through that, even if a relationship did happen to start between them.

Cora sighed through the phone, the disappointment barely hidden in her voice. "Fine, just make sure to be here 6pm, sharp."

"Of course mother," Regina said. "Goodnight."

She hung up the phone and put her phone on the counter. Opening the refrigerator she realized she would have to go grocery shopping soon. She shut the fridge and decided to just have a bowl of cereal for dinner; past the point of caring.

After her quick dinner and a long bath, Regina finally just got into bed. There was only 2 more days in the winter semester, and she was completely burned out.

As she started to fall asleep she thought once more of Emma's face, smiling broadly at her in the snow. _I hope she calls soon…_ she thought to herself, before falling asleep completely.


	3. Chapter 3

**DECEMBER 13**

Two days later Regina was walking out of her last class of the day when her phone rang with an unfamiliar number.

"Hello?" she said.

"Hi!" a female voice answered. "I'm sorry, I know I said I would call you and it's been two days but I was really busy finishing out the semester and my-um, with other stuff and I figured I would just wait until we would both have free time for coffee! Oh, it's Emma, by the way…" she trailed off, sounding slightly embarrassed.

Regina laughed, "Hi Emma. Don't worry about it; I've been pretty busy finishing up last minute work too. I'm glad you called."

"Yeah?" Emma asked. Regina thought she could detect a smile in Emma's voice.

"Yeah," Regina answered.

There was a small pause in the conversation, though not uncomfortable.

"So…" Emma said, "How about that coffee?"

"I'd love to," Regina answered. "Are you free this afternoon?"

"Ummm…" Emma trailed off. "Yeah, I should be free. It's…" there was rustling heard on the other line in what Regina assumed was Emma looking for the time. "…Almost 12 now, so do you want to meet around 2?"

"That sounds perfect," Regina agreed. "Where do you want to meet?"

"Is the East Village too far out of your way? There's this great little coffee shop there called Ninth Street Bistro. They've got really great coffee and it's way cheaper than Starbucks. But I mean we don't have to go there if you don't want to… or if you can't get there easily… I'll meet wherever," Emma started rambling again.

Regina let out an easy laugh, thoroughly amused by this quirk she was beginning to understand was the norm for Emma.

"The East Village is fine," Regina told Emma. "I'll see you there at 2."

"Okay! Awesome!" Emma exclaimed. "See you then!"

Regina smiled as she hung up the phone. Things with Emma were really starting to look up.

….

At 1:45 Emma was seated in the bistro waiting for Regina. Her phone buzzed on the table in front of her and she looked down, seeing it was a text from Ruby.

_she there yet? is she dressed hot? ;)_ The message read.

Emma shook her head at her friend, and replied. _No she is not here yet. Quit bugging me and pay attention to my son before he loses a limb, please._

Ruby responded with just a wink face, but Emma wasn't really worried. Ruby had been helping Emma with Henry since she gave birth to him three years ago. Add that to the fact that Ruby lived with them too; for all intents and purposes she was the second parent that Henry didn't really have.

As Emma looked up from her phone, she saw Regina walking through the door of the bistro and caught her eye, waving her over.

"Emma, hi. So nice to see you in the day time and not almost falling over," Regina said with a smirk.

Emma laughed, standing up to pull Regina's chair out for her before sitting back down herself.

"I'm sure," she replied. "What about you? You're even prettier in the day time!"

Regina blushed. "You're quite the charmer," she told Emma.

"I try," Emma answered with her own smirk.

The waitress walked over before they could say anything else, and took both of their orders. Once she walked away, Emma started talking again.

"So, tell me about yourself Regina Mills."

"Well," Regina said, thinking for a moment. "I'm a senior at NYU, I'm graduating as an English major and I want to be an elementary school teacher. I'm from a small town in Maine that no one has ever heard of and I'm currently very glad I decided to stay home for Christmas break."

Emma smiled, "I'm glad you decided to stay home as well."

"What about you? I don't even know your last name," Regina pointed out.

"Swan. Emma Swan," Emma replied in a James Bond voice, and then laughed. "Let's see… well, I grew up in the foster system so I bounced back between NYC and Boston. I'm also a senior at NYU but I'm majoring in art. Eventually I want to own my own art gallery but I guess we'll see what happens after I graduate."

Regina looked surprised. "The foster system? Emma, I'm-"

"Don't say you're sorry," Emma interrupted. "It definitely wasn't the most ideal way to grow up, but look where I am now, yeah?"

Regina nodded, "Okay, so tell me more about this art major."

The waitress came back with their coffee and set it on the table. Regina noticed her smiling at Emma and was surprised to feel a pang of jealousy, but luckily Emma didn't seem to notice the attention, only focused on Regina.

"Well since I was younger art was one of the only consistent things in my life. Whether I was with a foster family or in one of the group homes there was always pencil and paper. Then once I got to high school I had an amazing art teacher and she really helped me get to where I am now," Emma said.

Regina was completely drawn to Emma; the passion in her eyes was incredible and Regina could tell that this was something that meant more to Emma than anything else in the world and she wanted to learn more about it.

Emma was interrupted, however, by her phone ringing. Looking down, she saw it was Ruby. "I'm sorry I have to take this."

She moved away from the table as she answered the phone, "Hello? Ruby?"

"Emma! Oh God Emma I'm so sorry," Ruby was saying. Emma could hear the sounds of crying in the background and her heart dropped to her stomach.

"Ruby what happened? What's wrong with Henry?" she demanded.

As Emma was talking to Ruby, Regina was observing the conversation. Although she couldn't hear what Emma was saying, she was pacing pack and forth and obviously seemed distressed. Regina couldn't help but wonder what Emma was keeping from her, and hoped that everything was okay.

Emma took a deep breath after Ruby's explanation, "It's okay Ruby, I know it wasn't your fault. I'm on my way. Tell Henry I love him and that mommy will be there soon, okay?" Emma said, before hanging up.

She moved back over to Regina and began grabbing her belongings and putting on her coat.

"I'm so sorry but I have to go, there's a-um, family emergency," she explained, not quite wanting to tell Regina she had a son yet.

"That's alright," Regina said, wondering what had Emma so frazzled. "We can meet up again soon, right?"

"Yes, definitely!" Emma replied. Before she could rethink it she kissed Regina on the cheek and then rushed out of the bistro, leaving a bewildered and blushing Regina in her wake.

"Well I'll be damned," Regina whispered to herself, before leaving the bistro herself.

**A/N** **This is all I have written so far, so let me know how you like it and I'll be working on the rest when I can!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Here's the newest part! Keep reviewing with comments or suggestions please :) I'm trying my hardest to get these chapters out as quickly as possible**

Emma rushed into the hospital going straight to the front desk.

"Hi, my name is Emma Swan. My son was brought here a little while ago, his name is Henry Swan?" she told the receptionist quickly.

"Oh yes they're in with the doctor now," she responded, "Room 117. You've got a brave little boy on your hands, Miss Swan."

Emma smiled gratefully and said her thanks before moving down the hallway and finding the room on her left.

"Henry!" she cried, seeing her son sitting on the exam chair with Ruby holding his right hand next to him—his left arm was currently being fitted for a cast by the doctor.

Ruby and Henry both looked up at Emma's voice with matching tear stains on their cheeks. Although Henry looked much more interested in what the doctor was doing to him, while Ruby still just looked worried.

"Mommy!" Henry yelled. "I hurt my arm, it hurts a lot."

Emma walked over to them and ran her fingers through Henry's hair before kissing his forehead.

"I see that buddy, but I'm sure Aunt Ruby took good care of you, right?" she said, shooting a meaningful look at her friend.

Ruby looked back at Emma gratefully, and took Emma's hand in her free one, squeezing it. Emma just nodded in understanding and then looked to the doctor. He looked pretty young, and had perfectly styled blonde hair and sea blue eyes.

_He looks more like Prince Charming than a doctor_ Emma thought to herself, before addressing him out loud.

"So what's the verdict, doctor? I'm Emma, Henry's mom. As I'm sure you've guessed."

The doctor smiled, and reached out his hand to shake Emma's. "Hi Emma, I'm David Nolan. Henry here has got a clean break on his wrist so we're gonna keep this cast on it for 8 weeks to get it all healed up. He's young so there shouldn't be any further problems, but if you have any concerns you can always bring him back in."

"Thank you so much," Emma said. "How about that Henry? You okay to have this cast on for 2 months?"

"Can we put superhero stickers on it?" Henry asked.

Emma laughed, "Of course we can buddy. We can even pick some up on the way home."

"Yay!" he yelled, a large smile lighting up his face. Emma smiled in response, feeling much better now that she knew Henry was fine.

"Anything else we should be doing Doctor Nolan?" she asked.

"Please, call me David," he responded. "As for caring for the injury, child Motrin should be fine in recommended doses to help with the pain, and make sure to cover the cast with plastic in the bath. Otherwise everything else should be fine."

Ruby spoke up, finally joining the conversation. "Thank you so much, _David_. You look pretty young to be a doctor. Any chance a catch like you is single?" she asked with a wink.

David chuckled, luckily taking no offense to her flirting. "Unfortunately I've got an amazing fiancée waiting for me at home."

"Darn," Ruby replied, with mock disappointment. "Let her know she's a lucky lady!"

"I will," David said, before standing up and patting Henry lightly on the pack. "You're all done here, Mister Swan." He then produced a lollipop from his pocket and handed it to Henry. "And this is for being so brave."

"What do we say to Doctor Nolan, Henry?" Emma prompted her son.

"Thank you!" he said sweetly, smiling up at the doctor and showing his little dimples.

Emma then moved to pick him up, being careful to avoid jostling his injured arm too much. "Yes, thank you so much David. I'll make sure to be in touch if there's any problems."

"It was no trouble at all," David told her. "You've got a great son here."

Emma grinned, loving nothing more than getting compliments on her son. "Thank you, that really means a lot." She turned towards Ruby, "Do you want to meet us at home? I've got to get this one his superhero stickers and pick up some extra Motrin."

Ruby nodded, "Sure, sounds like a plan." She moved to kiss Henry on the forehead, and then kissed Emma on the cheek.

Emma gave her a look. "Do _not_ apologize again. It wasn't your fault- stop feeling so guilty. I will see you at home," she said, squeezing Ruby's arm.

Ruby sighed and followed Emma out of the room, "Okay, okay, fine. I'll see you at home."

David smiled as he watched them go, observing that the two were quite obviously close friends. He hoped Emma was single though, because he thought that his one friend might hit it off with her…

….

Regina walked into her apartment and put her purse on the hook by the door. As she made her way to the couch and sat down she started thinking about Emma. Their coffee date had been going so well and she really hoped that nothing was wrong when Emma left.

_She did kiss you on the cheek, though_, Regina reminded herself.

She sighed, shaking her head. It was no use worrying about it now; she'd just text Emma later to talk some more. Picking up the remote on the coffee table in front of the couch, Regina turned on the TV and started looking for something to watch.

After searching through the channels for a bit she came across Snow White, her favorite movie as a child. Regina smiled to herself; some childhood nostalgia was always good.

As she settled in to watch the movie her phone started buzzing in her pocket. Looking at the caller ID she saw it was her stepsister and best friend, Mary Margaret. When Regina's dad had died when she was sixteen and her mom decided to re-marry, Regina hadn't been happy about it, but Mary Margaret had turned out to be a blessing.

"Hey you," Regina said, answering the phone.

"Hi!" Mary Margaret replied. Regina could hear the smile in her voice; Mary Margaret was _always_ smiling about something.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Oh nothing much, I talked to Cora today…"

"Ugh," Regina groaned. "What did she have to say to you about me now?"

"She's concerned that you once again don't have a date for the Christmas party next week," Mary Margaret said. "I told her that you didn't even need to be settling down yet, but you know her. Just because I'm engaged she thinks you should be too."

Even though Mary Margaret couldn't see her, Regina still couldn't help but scowl. While Mary Margaret herself was wonderful, ever since their parents had married Cora constantly compared the two girls.

"It's okay," Mary Margaret soothed. "You should just be worrying about school anyway. I know my work load is so busy I can hardly worry about my own wedding!"

Regina sighed, "I know, I know. You guys are going to have to play interception during the party anyway, though."

"Of course," Mary Margaret agreed. "What are sisters for?"

Regina smiled; talking to her stepsister did always improve her mood.

"So anyways, what's new? I haven't heard from you in a few days," Mary Margaret asked.

"I know, I've been so busy finishing up the semester I forgot to check in like usual. Then today I had coffee with a friend and-"

"Hold up!" Mary Margaret interrupted. "What friend?! A new friend? A _girl_ friend, perhaps?"

Regina sighed lovingly at her stepsister, knowing this was coming. "_Yes_, a new friend. I ran into her, literally, the other day and she ended up inviting me to coffee."

A loud squeal came through the phone, causing Regina to hold it away from her face for a few seconds to let Mary Margaret get out all of her excitement.

"Before you ask, her name is Emma and she's also a student at NYU. She's graduating as an art student and that's all I got to find out before she had to rush off," Regina said.

"Rush off?" Mary Margaret asked. "Well that doesn't sound very promising."

Regina scoffed, "Thanks for the confidence! She said it was a family emergency and I believe that something was wrong. She seemed reluctant to say what it was about though…"

"Hmm," Mary Margaret replied, thinking for a moment. "She could just be a closed off person. I'm sure that once you talk more she'll open up more. Just give it time. And report back to me everything!"

"Okay, _mom_," Regina joked, chuckling a bit. Mary Margaret was such a romantic at heart that she had always just wanted Regina to be happy as well, which wasn't always easy. Regina loved her for that.

"Oh, I've got to go now, David just got home!" Mary Margaret said. "I'll talk to you later, okay? Love you!"

"I love you too," Regina replied. "Bye."

Regina hung up the phone; feeling like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She would just have to talk to Emma later to make sure things were okay.

…..

Pulling into the parking garage next to her apartment building, Emma looked into the backseat and saw that Henry had fallen asleep on the drive. It wasn't surprising, given all the adventure that had happened today.

She grabbed her shopping bag and then got out of the front seat and made her way to the back of the car. Pushing the bag up her arm, she carefully unbuckled Henry and picked him up without waking him.

Slowly she made her way into the building and got in the elevator. Once she reached her floor she made her way down the hallway and was glad to find the door unlocked, meaning Ruby was already home.

Emma opened the front door and saw Ruby sitting on the couch reading, and could smell food cooking from the kitchen. Ruby looked up and was about to say something when she saw that Henry was asleep.

As Emma made her way down the hallway to Henry's room, Ruby followed close behind. Ruby rolled down the covers while Emma gently set Henry on the bed. They each leaned forward to kiss him on the forehead before leaving the room and quietly shutting the door.

Making their way back to the living room, Emma sat down on the couch and Ruby sat next to her, resting her head on Emma's shoulder.

"I'm sorry I ruined your date," Ruby mumbled.

Emma gently shoved her friend's shoulder. "What did I tell you about apologizing?"

Ruby let out a big sigh. "Not to do it. But I really do feel bad!"

"Well don't," Emma said. "Regina seemed really understanding anyway so it's fine."

"What did she say when she found out you had a kid?" Ruby asked.

"She didn't," Emma replied. "I don't think I want to tell her yet."

Sensing this was about to turn into a serious conversation, Ruby shifted so she could see Emma's face.

"Why not?" she asked. "Do you think she'll reject you once she finds out?"

Emma shook her head. "She wants to be an elementary school teacher so I think she'd be okay, but I kind of just want to get to know her before bringing her into our life, you know? I just don't want Henry to get attached if it's not going to work out."

Ruby rested her head back on Emma's shoulder and put her arm around Emma's stomach in a half hug.

"You're a great mom, Em. Whatever you think is best for Henry is the right choice," Ruby said. "I really hope this does work out for you though. You know I love you and Henry but we can't live together forever."

"I know," Emma sighed. "I'll talk to Regina tonight after dinner."

The two sat in companionable silence, eventually falling asleep. Henry crawling across both of their laps awakened them a half an hour later.

"Hey buddy," Emma said, her voice thick with sleep. "Did you have a nice nap?"

"Uh huh," Henry nodded. "Did you?"

Emma and Ruby both chuckled. "Yes we did," Ruby answered. "Are you ready for dinner now?"

"Yeah!" Henry yelled.

Ruby stood up, picking Henry up with her and carefully put him on her shoulders, moving to the kitchen. Emma followed behind with a smile and then moved to get dinner out of the oven.

The two adults moved around the kitchen in sync, getting dinner set up on the table and then served Henry before serving themselves. The table was pretty quiet, with everyone still tired from the long day.

After dinner the three of them watched cartoons for a bit, until it was time for Henry to go to bed.

Finally Emma made it to her own room and took her phone out, deciding to text Regina.

_Hey, you._

After a minute her phone buzzed, designating a response.

**Hello there. Everything okay?**

_Yes it is. Thank you for being so understanding earlier. I really was having a great time before I had to leave._

**So was I. I especially enjoyed that kiss on the cheek before you left ;)**

Emma blushed; she had forgotten that she had done that.

_Oh God, I'm sorry. I wasn't even thinking, I just did it_

**Don't apologize. I just told you that I enjoyed it. I'd also enjoy seeing you again sometime… maybe for dinner?**

_I'd love to. :)_

**Good. I'll plan it this time and call you tomorrow with details?**

_Sounds perfect. Goodnight Regina, sleep tight xx_

**Goodnight Emma. I look forward to seeing you again xx**

After she read Regina's last response, Emma was finally able to fall asleep with a small smile gracing her lips.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Sorry for the delay- halfway through fall semester at college things get crazy busy. I'm working my hardest to finish this as quickly as possible, but essays keep getting in the way. And just for reference, the first time they met was December 11 and their lunch date was December 13.**

**DECEMBER 17**

Regina was rushing to the library to print a last minute paper, and then she would finally be done with work for the semester. And _then_ hopefully she would get to spend more time with Emma.

She smiled, thinking about how their date had gone the other night. Emma was definitely someone she wanted to keep in her life, and they had only known each other a week, which was more than a little scary.

Emma was just so… down to earth, Regina realized. Coming from the world she grew up in, it was definitely a breath of fresh air. She made Regina laugh more than she ever thought possible, and she was pretty sure a smile never left her face during their entire date. And the goodnight kiss… Regina sighed wistfully. While brief, because Emma wanted to "act like a lady on the first date," there was more sparks than Regina had had with anyone else, even-

Regina shook her head. Best not to go down that road.

The bottom line was, Emma seemed pretty much perfect so far. It was bound to end up too good to be true, but for now Regina just wanted to trust her gut and see where this was going.

As she reached the door to the library, still lost in thought, her body collided with someone else.

A hand grabbed her arm and before she could look up a familiar voice said, "Fancy running into you here."

"Emma!" she exclaimed with a grin.

Emma smirked in reply, "We have _got_ to stop meeting like this."

"Well if you would just watch where you were going…" Regina joked.

"I was sending a very important text message, thank you very much," Emma protested in response. "What about you, Miss Head-in-the-Clouds? Any interesting thoughts in there? All about me I hope."

Regina blushed.

"They were!" Emma gasped. "I knew I was too irresistible for my own good."

Regina shoved Emma's shoulder, "Oh stop it. You can't prove anything."

Emma slyly grabbed Regina's hand as it was leaving her shoulder and replied, "I've been thinking about you too, don't worry."

The two smiled, temporarily getting lost in each other's eyes until someone leaving the library rudely broke them apart.

Emma coughed, "Guess we should move. What are you doing here? Last minute project?"

"Research paper," Regina replied. "I just have to print it and run it to my professor then I'm done for the semester."

"Lucky you," Emma groaned. "Somehow I missed that we had a final evaluation so I have meet my professor here and make that up."

Regina grinned in sympathy, rubbing Emma's arm briefly. "Well maybe when you're done you can come over for dinner?"

"I'd love to," Emma said. "I'll just have to call my roommate and make sure she didn't have anything planned for tonight."

"Perfect," Regina answered. "Text me when you're done and then you can come right over. I'll send you my address."

"Sounds good," Emma said, before leaning in and quickly giving Regina a kiss. She smirked, although she had a slight blush on her face, and then ran off in her typical-Emma fashion. "I'll see you later!" she called over her shoulder.

Regina grinned to herself; happy that tonight would be good. She walked into the library and made her way over to the computers. As she waited for the computer to turn on she checked her phone and saw a text message from Mary Margaret.

_Call me when you can. Xoxo_

She frowned, hoping everything was okay. Soon she logged into her email and had the printer paper in no time. After a quick walk across campus the paper was in her professor's hands and she took a deep breath, reveling in her new freedom.

As she was leaving the academic building she pulled her phone out of her pocket once more and pressed the call button next to Mary Margaret's name.

"Hello?" her stepsister answered, in her perpetually cheery tone.

"Hey," Regina replied, "I got your message. Are you alright?"

"Oh yes, sorry!" Mary Margaret exclaimed. "It's just that David's out of town for some medical conference and I'm _so_ bored and there's only so many wedding magazines a girl can look at!"

Regina chuckled at her stepsister's antics. She always was one of those people that couldn't be left alone for too long—an extrovert to the core.

"I imagine the entire house is now spotless and you're ready to move onto the neighbor's?" Regina joked.

Mary Margaret huffed in response, "You know I need to stay occupied!"

"I know, I know," Regina answered. "So you just called me for some riveting conversation?"

"And to ask if you wanted to come over for dinner tonight and maybe watch a movie afterwards?"

Regina groaned in apology, "I'm so sorry, I totally would but I already invited Emma over for dinner tonight. We ran into each other before."

"Oooh, yet another date with Emma?" Mary Margaret replied in excitement. "So I take it things are going well between you two?"

"Yeah, they really are," Regina said, feeling a grin light up her face.

Mary Margaret sighed through the phone, "Fine. Then I guess I forgive you for rejecting my plans… _and_ I won't even ask if I can come to dinner too."

"Thanks, you're so kind" Regina said sarcastically. "I'll talk to you soon, okay?"

"Okay. Have fun with Emma and don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

"Wow, nothing beyond cuddling? I'm so disappointed," Regina drawled, clearly making fun of her stepsister's previously innocent ways.

Regina hung up the phone on Mary Margaret's protests, knowing she wouldn't really be mad. She checked the time on her phone and saw that it was only 3:30… she figured she had a few hours before Emma would be over so she made her way home, planning dinner as she walked. Lasagna would probably be nice…

…

Regina was just finishing up the salad when she heard a knock on her door. Looking at the clock she saw that it was exactly 7.

Moving over to the front door, she quickly smoothed down her dress before opening it. Immediately a bouquet of lilies was shoved into her face.

"Hi!" Emma exclaimed, her cheeks an adorable shade of pink from the cold. "I wasn't sure what flowers were your favorite so I just got these," she continued with a bashful smile.

Regina took the flowers from Emma and gave her a grin in return, "They're beautiful, I love them. Thank you, Emma."

"You're beautiful," Emma replied, her typical smirk returning to her face, followed by a chuckle when she got the intended reaction out of Regina—a blush covering her cheeks and neck.

"I mean it though," Emma said. "You should totally wear dresses all the time."

Regina had made an effort tonight and was in one of the little black dresses she owned, but rarely wore. Her hair was styled to perfection and her red lipstick perfectly matched her heals.

"Thank you," she responded. "You clean up quite nicely yourself. And it appears we match."

Emma was dressed in a red dress that also matched Regina's heels, although hers was form fitting and extremely sexy. Her blonde girls cascaded down her back, making her almost look like a princess.

Emma beamed, clearly happy with this realization. She then leaned forward and gave Regina a lingering kiss, pulling back before it could get too heated.

"Now our lips match too," she said, her voice slightly lower than normal. Then she straightened up, and started moving towards where she could see the kitchen was. "So what's for dinner? I'm starving!"

Regina chuckled, following closely behind. "I made my famous lasagna and a healthy salad, since based off of what you told me at dinner the other night you eat garbage most of the time," she said with a playful glare.

"_Famous_ lasagna?" Emma exclaimed, ignoring the comment about her diet. "I didn't know I was in the company of a famous person, I better get my camera so I can document this and make the general public jealous-"

Before she could continue Regina grabbed her around the middle and stopped her sentence with a kiss on the lips. Emma gasped into the kiss, taken by surprise, but clearly happy about it.

"Mmmm," she said, as they broke apart. "I could get used to this."

Regina smiled in response, kissing Emma once more before breaking away.

"Good, because I think I can keep you around," Regina replied.

"Oh you do, do you?" Emma chuckled.

Their banter continued as Regina pulled the lasagna out of the oven, and brought it over to the small table in the corner of the kitchen. The table was already set, so at Regina's gesture Emma brought over the salad bowl and sat down.

Dinner went quickly, since apparently Emma really hadn't eaten anything all day and scarfed down the meal as if she had never eaten in her life.

"This is the best thing I've ever put in my mouth," Emma moaned in appreciation, eating every last bite on her plate.

"I'm glad you liked it, dear," Regina said. She prided herself on her cooking, but it was nice to hear affirmation from someone she cared about. "Now how would you feel about watching a movie?"

"I'd love to," Emma told her. "Let me just text Ruby and let her know I'll be home late tonight."

"You and your friend Ruby seem quite close for you to be letting her know where you are all the time, should I be worried?" Regina joked.

A strange look flashed over Emma's face, but before Regina could identify it, it was gone.

"Of course not, you know I've only got eyes for you," Emma said, giving Regina an exaggerated kiss on the cheek. "She's just the closest thing to family I've got, and I haven't really dated much since- well, a past relationship, so I don't want her to worry."

Regina nodded in understanding. "Bad relationships can do that to you."

Before Emma could ask about that, however, she interjected. "So how about that movie? I've got just about every genre in the living room if you want to look while I clean up."

Emma paused, but then seemed to accept the subject change. "You sure you don't want me to help?"

"It's fine, dear," Regina said. "Really, go pick something out. I'll watch anything."

Emma snickered, and Regina heard her muttering about accepting the challenge as she walked into the living room. Regina shook her head.

_What an idiot_, she thought to herself. _But now she's my idiot_. She sighed, smiling to herself, as she started cleaning up the dishes.

Suddenly the phone rang, breaking her concentration.

"Do you want me to get that?" she heard Emma yell from the other room.

"No, just let the answering machine get it," Regina called back.

Soon enough the answering machine beeped, and then her mother's voice started filling in the air, causing Regina to groan in frustration.

_Hello Regina, I trust you have been well since the last time we talked. Anyways, I saw Victor Whale today, you remember him? Well he said he saw you at a bistro the other day with a blonde girl and that the two of you looked quite cozy…_

Regina didn't need to see her mother's face to know that it was pinched into judgment.

_I must say I'm rather disappointed in you, dear. You told me you had no one to bring to the Christmas party, but I hope you know that you must bring this mystery girl now. I'll see you then._

The message clicked off with a resounding beep, causing Regina to drop her head onto the counter in frustration.

"So, uh, I'm assuming that was your mother?" she heard Emma's voice say awkwardly from behind her.

Regina stood up and turned around to face Emma with a big sigh.

"Yes… she's not the warmest person in the world, as I'm sure you could tell," Regina replied with a frown.

Emma nodded, and then opened her mouth, pausing a bit before speaking.

"So… what's this about a Christmas party?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "Mother's annual 'Christmas bash,' which is basically just another excuse to show off all of the new and fancy items she's acquired since last Christmas. It's mandatory for me to go, but despite what she said you don't have to. I wasn't even going to ask because honestly, I wouldn't put anyone through that."

"She sounded pretty adamant about you bringing me though," Emma said hesitantly.

Regina sighed again, and then took Emma's hand. "I'll figure something out, don't worry about it."

Emma took a step closer. "It seems important to you though. And I mean, what better way to meet the parents then to dive right into some fancy-rich Christmas party?" she joked, lightly.

"Are you sure?" Regina asked warily. "I mean, we've only known each other a week. Don't you think this is too soon?"

Emma threaded her fingers through Regina's, and lightly rubbed the back of Regina's hands with her thumbs.

"What I think, is that I really like you. More than anyone else I've ever met. And I'm sorry if that scares you, it scares me too honestly, and there's a lot that could go wrong but really what better way to put this to the test than jumping right in?" Emma told Regina softly. "But if you really aren't comfortable with me going, then I won't. No harm, no foul."

Regina stared at Emma, completely bewildered.

"You're too perfect to be real," she whispered.

Emma chucked, slowly moving her face towards Regina's.

"I'll take that as a yes," she said, before closing the distance between their lips. It was a sensual kiss, filled with more feeling and passion than either had ever felt. After a few minutes the two broke apart, smiling goofily at each other.

"So how about that movie?" Emma prompted, keeping their hands joined. They walked over to the couch and sat down, with Regina cradled into Emma's side.

She was still a little nervous about bringing Emma to the Christmas party, but she would just have faith that everything would go okay.

**Please please please tell me what you think. Any reviews/criticism will help me with what I write in the future :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N I can see all the views this story is getting so seriously please leave criticism/comments/anything to help me improve this story any way I can!**

**DECEMBER 24**

"Ruby!" Emma yelled from her closet, throwing potential clothes behind her into the room. "I need your help!"

As she stood up and turned around Ruby appeared in the doorway holding Henry on her hip.

"Mommy you made a big mess of your room. No TV for a week," he said seriously.

Ruby barked out a laugh and kissed Henry on the forehead before putting him down and letting him walk into the room and climb on to Emma's bed.

"Seriously though Em, what happened here?" Ruby asked while walking into the room herself.

Emma groaned and threw her hands in the air. "I have nothing to wear! This is the first time I'm meeting Regina's mom and it's really important to her and nothing I have is appropriate. This is going to be a disaster," she rambled in a frenzy.

Ruby walked over and put her hands on Emma's shoulders, forcing her to stand still.

"Take a deep breath," she commanded, and waited for Emma to breathe before continuing. "Now, you still have about an hour before you need to leave so just go shower and I will pick out your outfit for you. Then when you get out I'll do your hair while you work on your make-up. Okay?"

Emma took another deep breath, and then smiled at Ruby.

"Thanks Rubes, you're a life saver."

"Eh, what else are friends for?" Ruby said, while turning Emma around and giving her a shove towards the bathroom. "Now go!"

Once Emma left the room, Ruby turned towards the mess on the bed and tried to find something appropriate for this Christmas party. From what Emma had told her, Regina's mom seemed like kind of a nightmare and she definitely had to make sure Emma was more than presentable.

"Mommy's going out tonight?" Henry asked, breaking Ruby out of her thoughts.

She looked up at him and nodded her head, "Yupp. It's just me and you tonight, buddy."

Henry frowned, "But it's Christmas Eve."

"That's okay," Ruby said, moving to sit next to Henry. "Mommy will be home before Santa even gets here, and she'll definitely be home for you to wake her up real early in the morning."

As she finished her sentence she started tickling him, making him laugh and forget all about Emma leaving for now.

A throat clearing in the doorway caused Ruby to pause in her actions, and she looked up to find Emma casually standing against the doorframe in her bathrobe.

"And what do we have here?" she asked, looking at her son and best friend.

"Mommy!" Henry shrieked. "Aunt Ruby wouldn't stop tickling me!"

"She wouldn't, would she?" Emma said with a smirk, slowly moving closer. "Well it would really be a shame if I joined in too…" she trailed off, pouncing on the bed and starting to tickle her son as well.

Henry's laugh was like music to her ears, and she felt a little less guilty about leaving him on Christmas Eve since she knew he would have fun with Ruby. Finally the two of them stopped, and Emma put Henry on her lap, giving him a series of kisses all over his face.

Henry squirmed away, rolling all over the bed in the process and causing Emma to laugh.

"So, what outfit have you decided for me?" she asked Ruby.

Looking down, Ruby saw an elegant black dress that would be cinched at the waist, and come down to mid-thigh—perfectly appropriate for a Christmas party if paired with a red necklace and heels.

Once the outfit was decided the two moved to Emma's mirror so she could finish getting ready. As Emma carefully applied her make-up, Ruby decided to curl her friend's hair and then add a few intricate braids.

An hour later and Emma was finally ready, but feeling no less nervous. As she was pulling her shoes on Henry walked over and stared at her for a moment before saying, "You look like a princess Mommy."

Emma smiled at her son, thankful that the "terrible threes" she had heard so much were nowhere to be found with her kid.

"Thanks, buddy," she said, right as a knock came at the front door.

Ruby and Emma both looked in the direction of the front door, and then at each other.

"I thought you were meeting Regina at her place?" Ruby asked.

Emma looked back to the door, the confusion clear on her face. "I thought so too…"

Ruby shrugged. "Maybe she wanted to surprise you."

Another knock came at the door, breaking the two out of their discussion.

Emma looked to Henry, and then back to the door.

"Ruby can you answer the door? I'm gonna bring Henry to his room and get him situated," she said.

Ruby sighed, still thinking Emma should tell Regina about her son, but obliged. She made her way to the front door and made sure Emma and Henry were out of sight before opening the door.

The woman standing in front of her was dressed in an emerald green dress that was perfectly cut to her body, and her hair and make-up looked professionally done. Ruby looked her up and down slowly, and then let out a low whistle, causing Regina to blush.

"Wow, Emma really did good this time," she finally said with a wink to Regina.

Regina cleared her throat, then stuck her hand out to shake, "You must be Ruby," she said.

"You would be correct," Ruby smirked. "I've heard so much about you."

"All good things I hope," Regina replied.

"Of course good things," Emma said, appearing behind Ruby and then stopping in her tracks once she caught sight of Regina.

"Wow," Emma breathed. "You look amazing."

Regina smiled her smile that had now taken to being just for Emma. "You don't look so bad yourself, dear."

"I thought I was picking you up?" Emma asked, breaking herself out of the trance of staring at Regina.

"I decided to be the chivalrous one for once," Regina said, taking Emma's hand.

Ruby groaned, and then made fake gagging noises.

"You two are disgusting!" she exclaimed, although everyone knew she was joking. "Now get out of here before you're late for your fancy party."

She shoved the two out the door, and then shut it before Emma could give her any special demands. She deserved a nice Christmas Eve without worrying about her son for once. That meant that once Henry was in bed Ruby was going to set out all the presents under the tree so Emma could go straight to bed when she got home.

For now though… "Henry what do you want to make for dinner?" she called, while moving to the kitchen. She just had to keep the kid occupied for a few more hours.

….

Hours later Ruby was passed out on the couch after setting out the presents for Henry, exhausted from playing with him all night. Suddenly her phone started ringing, startling her out of sleep.

Glancing at the screen she saw that it was an unfamiliar number—and twelve in the morning?

"Hello?" she said, voice thick with sleep. At the immediate cries she could hear on the other end of the phone, however, she was awake instantly.

"Hello? Emma?"

"It's- it's Regina," the voice on the phone choked out. "There's been an accident…"

**To be continued :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**** Thanks to all the people who are reviewing! Please keep it up to let me know what you think, and also just let me know if you have any suggestions for things you want to see happen :)**

As Ruby shut the door behind Emma and Regina, Emma turned around as if she was going to open it back up to tell Ruby something, but then thought better of it.

"Everything okay?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded, "Yeah, everything's fine. We should go before we're late."

As she started down the hallway it took a second for Regina to follow her. She still felt like Emma was hiding something from her, but she wasn't sure how to bring it up.

_Maybe after the party…_ she thought, joining Emma in the elevator.

After Emma pressed the button for the ground floor, she took Regina's hand and gave her a blinding smile.

"You really do look amazing," Emma told her.

Regina grinned before leaning over and giving Emma a lingering kiss. She was pretty sure she could never grow tired of kissing Emma, but as soon as it started to get heated the elevator dinged, signaling their arrival to the ground floor.

"Your majesty," Emma said jokingly, gesturing for Regina to leave the elevator in front of her.

Regina led them to her car and once they were situated noticed that Emma seemed to be fidgeting more than normal. Reaching over, she put her hands on top of Emma's to still them.

"Try not to be so nervous," she said in a soothing voice. "Mother is certainly… difficult, but if you're really uncomfortable just say the word and we're out of there."

Emma leaned over and quickly kissed Regina on the cheek, not wanting her to get distracted from her driving.

"Thank you," she replied, voice softer than normal. "I just want to make a good impression."

Regina nodded, understanding the need to be accepted by Cora all too well—and Emma hadn't even met her yet.

"If it's any consolation, my father would have loved you," Regina told her girlfriend, glancing over to make brief eye contact.

"What was he like?" Emma asked. Regina had told her that her father was gone, but not much beyond that.

"He was my favorite person in the world when I was a child," Regina said. "While I realize now he could've done more to step in while Mother was criticizing me, he loved me and he always made sure I knew it. He had a great sense of humor and he's the one who made me love English so much."

Emma was silent for a moment before responding. "Your father sounds like a great man… I really wish I could have met him."

Regina reached out and intertwined her fingers with Emma's giving them a squeeze. "Yeah, me too."

The two then sat in comfortable silence and before long they were pulling in front of one of the nicest apartment buildings on the Upper East Side.

"Wow," Emma breathed in awe. "You weren't kidding when you said your family had a lot of money."

Regina grimaced. "I can't say it wasn't nice to grow up so privileged, but Mother does have a way of showing it off frequently that I don't quite agree with. This party being one of those occasions."

"Well… I guess we better go in," Emma said hesitantly.

Regina gave her hand another squeeze before letting go and beginning to get out of the car.

"Remember, any time you want to leave just say the word," she said quietly as they entered the building. They could hear Christmas music and voices down the hallway so Regina knew the party was in full swing, and was hoping her mother hadn't had too much to drink yet.

Taking a deep breath, Regina opened the door and let Emma go in before her, smiling a little at the wonder on her girlfriend's face. The apartment was decorated with only the finest furniture so it was a little overwhelming at first sight.

"Regina!" a voice called from the crowd. Regina looked around, letting out a sigh of relief when she saw that it was just Mary Margaret.

Her stepsister made a beeline towards them and Regina stepped forward to hug her… only to be bypassed with Mary Margaret going straight towards Emma.

"You must be Emma!" she squealed, pulling Emma into a tight hug. "Oh Regina she's even prettier than you described!"

Emma blushed immediately, while also awkwardly hugging Mary Margaret back.

"I'm assuming you're Mary Margaret," Emma said, with a slight laugh.

"Okay let her go now, I think you've made her uncomfortable enough," Regina interjected in a dry tone.

Immediately Mary Margaret let go and started apologizing profusely. "Oh I'm so sorry! I just love hugs and I was so excited to meet you-"

Emma laughed for real this time, "It's okay, really. I was just a bit surprised."

Regina cleared her throat, turning the attention on herself. "What? No hug for your sister?"

"Of course you get a hug," Mary Margaret said, pulling Regina into an even tighter hug and whispering, "she's a keeper" before letting go.

Regina blushed and cleared her throat before speaking again. "So where's David? Usually you guys are attached at the hip."

Mary Margaret hit Regina's arm lightly, with a small scoff. "Oh stop it, you know that's not true. And you actually just missed him; he has to work tonight so he could only come for a little bit."

"David's your fiancé right?" Emma asked, joining back in the conversation.

Mary Margaret nodded enthusiastically, "Yes, but we've got nothing for the wedding planned yet. It's a nightmare!" she continued speaking while taking Emma by the arm, leading her over to the food and leaving Regina alone.

Emma looked back at her girlfriend over her shoulder, but Regina just shot her a smile and a nod letting her know it was okay.

….

A while later and there was still no sign of Cora, which was starting to worry Regina. Her and Emma had lost Mary Margaret to the crowd at some point, and were now just sitting on the couch together talking softly.

"Regina, dear," A voice said from behind them, making Emma's blood run cold.

The two slowly turned around and saw Cora standing behind the couch, a smile plastered to her face.

"And you must be Regina's new girlfriend," she said in a sickly sweet voice.

Emma rushed to stand up, and held her hand out for Cora to shake, "I'm- I'm Emma, Emma Swan. It's very nice to meet you Mrs. Mills."

"Cora, please," she responded; only briefly giving Emma's hand a shake. She quite obviously looked Emma over, face twisting in slight disapproval. "So Emma, what do you do?"

"Well I'm a student at NYU, just like Regina. I'm majoring in art currently, and I hope to open my own gallery one day," Emma said, trying to sound as confident as possible.

"A student? So you'll be graduating this May?"

"Yes ma'am," Emma replied.

"So do you think marriage is in the future? What about kids, how do you feel about them?" Cora asked, ignoring Regina's warning look.

While Emma looked extremely uncomfortable, she was clearly trying to stay unaffected. "I mean Regina and I haven't been seeing each other for very long, but I do like her very much and my intentions towards her are completely honorable."

"And kids? How do you expect to have a family?" Cora pried.

"Um… we would find a way," Emma replied. Regina noticed that Emma still looked uncomfortable, but also almost looked like she was still holding something back. Before she could question it, however, Cora spoke up again, breaking Regina out of her thoughts.

"Well… I guess Regina has gone a slight step up from last time," Cora said, glancing at Regina.

"Mother, please," Regina warned.

"I'm just saying, at least she's a student and seems to have a future," Cora replied. "Not like-"

"Mother!" Regina interrupted.

Seeing the scene rising and wanting to diffuse it before anyone else noticed, Mary Margaret quickly made her way over.

"Hey, is everything okay over here?" she asked, putting a reassuring hand on Regina's back.

"Everything is perfectly fine, dear, you can go back to the party," Cora said, dismissing Mary Margaret.

Mary Margaret's hand was still on Regina's back, and she could feel her shaking in anger. Looking over at Emma she saw that she also looked extremely uncomfortable, and Mary Margaret knew that Cora must have been interrogating her.

Before she could say anything, Regina spoke up.

"I'm sorry Mother, but we're leaving now," she said, the anger clear in her voice.

Cora scoffed, "Just because I asked a few innocent questions? You're going to have to toughen up and forget the past one of these days Regina."

Ignoring her mother, Regina grabbed Emma's arm and started walking them away. "I'll talk to you another time, Mother," Regina called behind her in a cold voice.

Grabbing their coats Regina rushed her and Emma out of the apartment and outside, where it had begun to snow.

"Regina! Hey, Regina, calm down!" Emma pleaded, taking hold of Regina's arm and trying to get her to stop walking.

"I'm sorry Emma but I knew this was going to be a bad idea," Regina said, breaking free of Emma's hold and moving around to the driver's side of the car to get in.

Emma quickly got into the passenger side and looked over at Regina with a hurt expression as Regina started the car and started driving.

"I thought you said it was going to be fine? You really regret bringing me that much?"

Regina sighed, "No, you were fine Emma. It's my mother that I'm angry with. I just _knew_ she would start prying and cause problems."

"Hey," Emma said, throwing her hands up. "She just asked a couple questions. I didn't think she really caused any problems."

"Well, maybe not problems, but she certainly did reinforce some questions I have," Regina said after a beat of silence.

Emma's eyes widened briefly, before she neutralized her expression. "What are you talking about?"

"You're hiding something from me," Regina replied. "You've _been_ hiding something from me, and at first I tried not to let it bother me, but you told my mother that you could marry me and yet you still aren't trusting me with some big secret?"

"I'm not hiding anything from you," Emma argued, although her voice faltered briefly.

"Yes you are!" Regina exclaimed.

"Well what about you?" Emma asked, getting defensive now. "What was your mother talking about back there?"

"Nothing," Regina muttered. "She doesn't know what she's talking about."

Emma scoffed, "Clearly it was something if we had to leave because of it."

"She was over-stepping her boundaries, that's why we had to leave," Regina protested. She looked over at Emma, not noticing that the light in front of her was turning red.

Emma opened her mouth to respond when suddenly Regina's face was lit up with artificial light, and her expression turned to one of horror.

"Emma!" and the sound of a horn blaring was the last thing she heard before everything went black.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N Had a burst of inspiration and got this written in about an hour so hopefully this is satisfying for now! A big thank you to the people who keep reviewing, and an even bigger thank you to my best friend Genevieve who has been helping me through the whole story, but especially this chapter. I'm not sure how much of the story is left, so please let me know if there's anything you want to see and what you think :)**

Regina paced back and forth in the waiting room, anxiously waiting for the doctor to update her on Emma's condition. Remarkably, Regina herself had just needed a few stitches on the forehead and would be incredibly sore for the next few days, but Emma had taken the full force of the impact.

Once the doctors had taken care of Regina, she was able to take Emma's phone and call Ruby, but couldn't give her any information yet.

_I should have been looking_, Regina thought to herself. _This is my fault. If I had just seen the red light-_

With a choked sob, Regina collapsed into one of the chairs, putting her head in her hands.

_If anything happens to her I'll never forgive myself…_

"Ms. Mills?" a voice said, breaking Regina out of her thoughts.

Regina jumped up, seeing the doctor in front of her.

"Is she okay?" Regina rushed out. "She's okay right? She's going to be fine?"

The doctor sighed, "Unfortunately there was a lot of damage. The right side of her body was smashed, resulting in a breakage in both her arm and leg. There was some internal bleeding, but luckily we were able to stop it. Her brain also doesn't appear to have any swelling, but we're not sure when she's going to wake up. After a trauma like this the brain usually shuts down to protect the body from the extreme amount of pain it's going through."

"But… she's going to wake up, right?" Regina asked, voice breaking on the last word.

"There's a strong chance she will wake up, yes," the doctor replied diplomatically. "But only time will tell."

As another sob broke free from Regina, the doctor put a hand on her shoulder in brief comfort.

"I'm sorry," he said. "The nurses are moving her from the ICU into a room now so you can go sit with her. You just have to have faith in her now."

Regina nodded, "Thank you."

A nurse came and led Regina to Emma's temporary room. As she walked into the doorway she had to stop herself from collapsing again.

Emma was barely recognizable. Her face was marred with bruises and cuts, and the entire right side of her body was wrapped in bandages. The only thing that seemed safe was her hair.

Regina let out an unbelieving laugh. _Of course her perfect princess hair would be fine_.

She slowly made her way to the bed, and pulled a chair up close. She looked up at the nurse still in the room.

"Is it… Can I touch her?" she asked hesitantly.

The nurse gave her a sympathetic smile. "Of course you can, honey. If you hold her and talk to you she'll be sure to hear you and make her way back. People in love will always find their way back to each other."

Tears welled up in Regina's eyes again. Love… it was too soon for love. Yet, she certainly felt it. The fear she felt tonight at the thought of losing Emma was too much to bear, and she knew now she could never let her go.

The nurse patted Regina's shoulder before leaving the room and quietly shutting the door behind her.

Regina reached over and grabbed Emma's hand, gently interlacing their fingers.

"You have to wake up Emma," she whispered. "I'm sorry that I yelled at you, and I'm sorry that I got us into that crash. I'll do anything to make it up to you. I'll tell you what my mother was talking about… it doesn't even seem important anymore."

She let out a dark chuckle, "I'm sure my mother will be happy to hear about this. Two loves gone tragically wrong… Please, don't prove her right. Please just wake up for me, Emma. I… I lo-"

Regina's words were cut off as the door to the room burst open. Ruby ran in with a sleepy looking little boy on her hip. He opened his eyes, familiar green eyes… Was that-?

"Mommy!" the little boy yelled, confirming Regina's sudden suspicions.

"Emma! Oh my God, Emma!" Ruby exclaimed, rushing over to the bed. She looked over to Regina, where tearstains were clearly evident. "Is she okay? What happened?"

Regina hastily wiped her eyes, looking at the little boy once more before focusing her attention on Ruby.

"We were driving home… I didn't think about the snow. We were arguing, and I missed the red light and I should have been looking but I wasn't, and oh God, I'm so sorry," Regina blurted out, tears coming once more. "I'm so so sorry, this was all my fault."

Ruby could see the anguish in Regina's face, the regret, and the… love. She reached out and took Regina's free hand, giving it a squeeze.

"Regina, don't worry about it. Emma's going to be okay, right?" she asked, her own eyes welling up.

Regina nodded shakily, "The doctor said she should be fine. He said that when people go through this much trauma their brains basically shut down so the pain doesn't overwhelm them. He said she should be waking up…"

The two women looked at Emma, hoping beyond belief that she would be waking up soon.

A small voice piped up, clearly scared. "Mommy's gonna be okay? Mommy's hurt?"

Ruby turned her attention back to Henry, cupping his face with her hands gently. "Mommy's gonna be just fine. She got in a little accident, so she looks kind of scary now, right?"

Henry nodded, his eyes straying from Ruby's briefly to look back at his mother.

"Hey," Ruby said gently, turning his attention back to her. "Mommy looks a little scary, but she's still Mommy under there, okay? And she's gonna need a lot of love from you when she wakes up."

Henry's lip started to quiver a little. "But why isn't she awake now? It's Christmas, she should be awake!"

Ruby sighed, running her hands through Henry's hair. "I know buddy. She'll wake up soon, I promise." She kissed his forehead, and then closed her eyes, sending up a prayer for that to be true.

Regina watched this interaction with fascination. This boy was clearly Emma's, but she imagined Ruby was like a parent to him as well with the completely maternal way she was acting towards him. This must have been what Emma was hiding, although Regina couldn't imagine why Emma would hide it from her. She knew that Regina wanted to be a teacher—she loved kids.

Ruby looked over at Regina and could practically see the thoughts running through her head. Henry, noticing his godmother's distraction, also looked over and finally noticed there was another person in the room besides his mother.

"Aunt Ruby?" he whispered, although it was loud enough for Regina to hear him clearly. "Who is that lady holding Mommy's hand?"

Ruby chuckled a watery laugh. She turned Henry around in her lap so he was facing Regina.

"Henry, this is Mommy's new friend Regina. Can you say hi?" Ruby prompted.

Henry burrowed into Ruby a little bit, but offered up a shy smile and a soft, "Hi."

Regina smiled immediately back. Along with his eyes that she had noticed before, his dimples were all Emma. "It's nice to meet you Henry," she told him in a gentle voice.

"You're Mommy's new friend?" he asked. When Regina nodded he continued, "Do you love her?" in an innocent voice.

Ruby choked in surprise, but didn't discourage the question, curious to hear the answer herself.

Regina stayed quiet for a second, but finally answered.

"I do," she whispered looking over to Emma as her hand absentmindedly stroked Emma's.

The room was silent for a minute, but then Ruby spoke up again. "I'm gonna go find a doctor and see about bringing cots or something in here so we can all stay. Henry, will you be okay staying here with Regina?" she asked, making eye contact briefly with Regina to see her nod in affirmation that that was okay.

After Henry nodded as well, she carefully transferred him to Regina's lap and left the room.

As Henry got situated, Regina noticed that there was a cast on his arm as well. "Did you hurt yourself too, Henry?" she asked.

He looked up at her with his big green eyes and nodded, still too shy to really say anything.

"Well, I'm sure once your Mommy wakes up you guys can get matching stickers for your casts. How does that sound?"

Henry smiled widely, showing off his dimples once again. "Yeah!" he said, cheering up a little bit.

Regina smiled back, and got more comfortable in the chair, preparing to keep Henry distracted until he hopefully fell asleep.

…

Black. That was all Emma could see around her. It was all consuming, suffocating, and she couldn't figure a way to get out of it. Her body felt weightless, and she couldn't figure out which way was up or down.

As she stayed there, in this place that wasn't really a place, flashes started to come to her.

_A smile, and a hand held out to shake hers. "Neal," the voice said…_

_The voice was familiar now, as were the hands wrapped around her waist. Love. She was feeling love for the first time, and she wasn't ever going to let it go…_

_Now she was late, and she was feeling panicked. This wasn't part of the plan; she was too young for a kid…_

_"__What do you mean you're leaving? You promised you would stay…"_

_Heartbreak, for the first time. Ruby's voice in her ear, telling her everything would be okay…_

_Pain. All she could feel was pain. Her body felt like it was being ripped from the inside out, the only anchor being Ruby's hand wrapped tightly around her own. Ruby's voice encouraging her that she could do this…_

_Relief. A cry. The most beautiful cry in the world…_

_"__It's a boy, Emma! You did it."…_

_A new weight in her arms. A baby. Her baby. The new light of her life…_

_A smile, showing off dimples that belonged to her. A first laugh… first steps…_

_"__Hi!" a first word that was not "mama," but still a reason to be proud of her son…_

_Getting accepted into college. Moving in with Ruby. Watching Henry grow up together. Making art. Making Henry art. Christmases, birthdays, Halloween…_

The memories were coming faster and faster, and a warm feeling was starting to envelope Emma, making her sleepy. She wanted more of that feeling… she needed to be closer to it…

_Eyes. Green eyes. Her son's eyes._

_Another set of eyes. The most beautiful pair of eyes she's ever seen. Love, expressed in those eyes… she had to get back to them_.

Regina! Emma snapped into awareness, the warm feeling fading. The accident; they had been in an accident. And now she had to get back to her son and Ruby, and more importantly, she had to get back to Regina….

…

Regina opened her eyes, forgetting for a minute where she was. She felt a weight on her lap and looked down, seeing Henry, sound asleep. Across the bed was Ruby, curled up in a chair and also asleep.

Looking around for the source of what woke her up, her eyes landed on Emma. Was she?

"Emma?" she asked quietly, leaning closer to her girlfriend. "Emma, can you hear me?"

…

_Emma? Emma, can you hear me?_

Emma could hear Regina's voice. It was getting closer… she just had to…

…

Suddenly, Emma's eyes blinked open for a second and closed. Then opened again, looking from side to side before finally locking onto Regina's.

….

_Regina._


	9. Chapter 9

******A/N Hey everyone- sorry it's taken so long to update! As I'm sure is true with everyone else, school is crazy, but I have a free week until finals and then an entire month after that to get this story done! I'm also sorry if this isn't the update that everyone wanted, but don't worry, this story will have a happy ending :)**

_Regina._

"Emma," Regina gasped, as their eyes locked. "Emma, can you hear me?"

While Emma's eyes were open, she still didn't seem to be completely aware of what was happening.

Regina shifted forward in her seat, conscious to not move Henry too much so he wouldn't wake up yet. The movement did however seem to wake Ruby.

"Regina?" she asked groggily, before looking over to Emma as well and also seeing that her eyes were open.

"Emma!" she stood up and leaned over her best friend. "Oh God Emma you're awake," she started to cry.

Seeing Ruby seemed to jolt Emma into complete awareness, and she opened her mouth to speak.

"What-?" she rasped out, her voice dry from being unconscious.

"Shh," Ruby shushed. She spotted a glass of water that a nurse must have left on the bedside and picked it up, easing the straw into Emma's mouth. "Careful," she warned, making sure Emma wasn't drinking too much. Once her friend seemed to be done, she put the glass back and instead took Emma's hand.

"You were in an accident," she said gently. "You and Regina. Right now it's your right side of the body that has the most damage, but I know there were some other complications as well. The doctor said you should be fine now. You're going to be fine," she finished, almost reassuring herself as much as Emma.

"Regina?" Emma asked.

Ruby moved back out of Emma's line of vision so Emma could see her girlfriend. As their eyes met, Emma started to smile, but then she caught sight of Henry on Regina's lap and her eyes darted to Ruby.

Regina watched, as the two seemed to have the silent conversation that only those completely attuned to the other could do. Finally Ruby let out a deep sigh and said, "What would you have rather I done?"

Emma looked back to Regina, then back to Ruby.

"Just take him now, please. I need to talk to Regina," Emma said, her voice getting stronger with each sentence.

Ruby scoffed, "Uh, how about I get a doctor? You should still be checked out."

Emma shook her head adamantly. "That can wait. Just take him and try not to let him wake up."

"You know he's going to be upset when he hears you woke up without him being awake," Ruby shot back.

"Not if you don't tell him," Emma protested. "I just need to deal with this, and then I can take care of my son."

Ruby sighed, seemingly in defeat. Her best friend was stubborn as hell, and while she didn't like it, Ruby knew she wouldn't change Emma's mind.

She turned towards Regina, who had been watching the two interact with deep fascination. With practiced care, Ruby maneuvered Henry from Regina's lap into her own arms without stirring the child in the slightest. She gave Emma one last look before leaving the room and shutting the door behind her.

As the door clicked shut, Emma and Regina made eye contact once more. Unlike the comfortable silences they had grown used to over the past few weeks, however, this was uncomfortable, as neither of them knew how to start.

"So," Emma began.

"So…" Regina replied. "You have a son."

Emma winced. "Yeah, I do."

"That's what you've been hiding from me this whole time?" Regina asked, her voice slightly accusing.

"Yes," Emma said. "I mean can you really blame me?"

Regina huffed. "Yes, kind of. You know I love kids, so I don't think you'd believe I would really reject him. We already established how strong our feelings have gotten for each other. I really don't know why you wouldn't have told me; I mean at least tonight—I picked you up at your house for God's sakes! That would have been the perfect time."

The more Regina talked, the more annoyed Emma became.

"You don't get it," Emma protested, voice hard. "Yes, I really like you. And I meant it when I said it was more than anyone I had ever been with before. But that doesn't mean there aren't risks. Things happen, people split up. And I don't want that to happen with Henry in the picture. He _cannot_ get hurt."

"You really think I would hurt him?" Regina asked, not happy with where the conversation was going.

Emma sighed, frustrated. "Maybe? I don't know. Ever since Henry was born it's just been me. Me and Ruby. I've never dated anyone. I've never even been _close_ to dating anyone because Henry is the most important thing in my life and he is always my first priority. You are the first person that I've taken a risk on and now look at us—two weeks and we're already fighting."

"Because you lied to me!" Regina retorted, her voice slightly raised.

"Because I had to!" Emma replied, her voice rising as well. "I just wanted to see where this was going! And clearly, you've lied to me too. I mean isn't that what we were fighting about in the car in the first place anyway? Huh? What about that, are you actually gonna own up to it now?"

Regina groaned, pulling her fingers through her hair roughly. "I already told you that was nothing."

"It's obviously something if it got you so upset with your mother that we had to leave," Emma shot back.

"Fine? You really want to know?" Regina asked, her voice hard.

"Yes, I want to know. That's what I've been saying this whole time!" Emma said, ignoring Regina's clearly elevated body language and tone.

"His name was Daniel," Regina began, "And he was the love of my life. Or so I thought," she laughed bitterly.

"When I was in high school I would have to go to function with my mother to help make her look good. Daniel was a server at these functions, and at one of them he spilled a drink on me. Mother was furious of course, but once she left the two of us started talking and it escalated from there. I was seventeen and naïve. I had no idea what my mother was really capable of."

Regina's voice started to lose its emotion, and Emma finally realized what this story was doing to her.

"Regina," she tried to say, but Regina interrupted her.

"No. You wanted to hear this, so here you go," Regina said. Her voice was nothing like the caring tone Emma had come to know it as, and that scared her.

With her eyes focused on nothing, Regina continued the story.

"The two of us exchanged numbers, and like all first loves, it grew rapidly. We were infatuated with each other, and while I thought I was hiding it from my mother, I was not as sneaky as I likened myself to be. At one of the next functions there was an accident—at least that's what they called it. I knew better. Mother had set the whole thing up, intending to ruin Daniel's life. I also believed that she had ruined mine, but Mother wouldn't stand for that. She pretended like it never happened, so eventually, I had to forget about it as well."

Regina's eyes began to fill with tears, emotion finally coming back to her voice and making it crack.

"I tried to see him afterwards, in the hospital. But instead of the tearful reunion I was hoping for, it was just filled with tears. Daniel blamed me. He said it was my fault, and that he hated me. Such hurtful things coming from the boy that I loved—well, you can imagine it wasn't all that great. I haven't seen or heard from him since."

Emma sat in shock; she had no idea what to say.

"Regina," she tried again, reaching for the girl's hand.

Regina moved her hand away before standing up completely. "I hope you're happy now," her voice was hard once again. "I hope that a man who hasn't been in my life for five years is more important than a child who has been in your life for the past three." She said with scathing sarcasm.

Before Emma could respond she turned away and started walking towards the door.

"I'll tell Ruby she can come back in and call the doctor now. Goodbye Emma," Regina said over her shoulder before walking out.

As soon as she was out of sight, Emma's breath rushed out in a sob.

_What have I done?_ She thought miserably. She tried to wipe her face, but when she remembered that she couldn't move her right arm she started crying harder out of frustration.

"Emma!" she heard Ruby's voice gasp, before her friend was rushing back into the room. Henry was still asleep on her hip, and she sent him gently in a chair before leaning over her best friend.

"Oh Emma," she said sadly, "What happened?"

"She hates me," Emma choked out bitterly. "I knew that I would ruin it, and I did."

Ruby ran her fingers through Emma's hair, trying to give her just a little bit a comfort. "I'm sure she doesn't hate you," Ruby reassured. "It's been a hard night for both of you, and I think you just need to sleep on it and talk later."

Emma shook her head, but didn't bother responding. Ruby let out a sigh before reaching for Henry once again, and carefully placing him in the bed next to Emma, knowing that the comfort of her son was what she really needed right now.

As best as she could with her left arm, Emma wrapped it around Henry and held him close, waiting for her tears to stop and sleep to come once more.

_I have to make this right_ was the last thing she thought, before finally succumbing back to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N Okay here's the next chapter- still not exactly resolved, but please give me some feedback to let me know what you think. I'm also not sure how much more this story has left, so if there's anything you'd like to see just let me know :)**

Regina stormed out of the hospital, only pausing briefly to tell Ruby that she was leaving. When she stepped outside, however, she realized two things—number one, it was absolutely freezing. And number two; she didn't have her car, as it was currently smashed to pieces.

"Some Christmas this is," she muttered, before pulling out her phone and calling Mary Margaret.

Regina listened to the dial tone and eventually got voicemail. She looked at the time on her phone—2am. _Dammit_.

She tried again, and right before she was about to hang up Mary Margaret answered.

"Hello? Regina? Are you okay?"

Regina sighed, "I need you to come pick me up."

"What? Why?" Mary Margaret exclaimed.

_It's Regina_, she heard Mary Margaret say softly to David. _No, I don't know that's why I just asked_.

"Are you okay?" Mary Margaret asked again.

"We were in an accident," Regina told her stepsister. "Emma's best friend and her… son," Regina gritted her teeth, "Are here with her now, and I would just really like to come home."

"An accident?!" Mary Margaret shrieked, not seeming to register the part about the son.

"_Yes,_" Regina snapped. "I already said I was okay. Please just come pick me up, and _no_, I don't want to talk about it."

A soft sigh was heard through the phone before Mary Margaret answered.

"Okay," she said quietly. "I'll be there as quickly as I can."

"Wait!" Regina said, stopping Mary Margaret from hanging up. "Be careful."

"I will," Mary Margaret replied, her tone soothing. "I'll see you soon."

After she hung up Regina put her phone in her pocket and then rubbed her hands together for warmth. While she was thankful the snow had stopped, she wished she were wearing warmer clothes. There was no way she wanted to go back inside and risk running into Ruby, though.

The girl seemed very protective of Emma and Regina was sure that Ruby would have more than a few words to say to her.

_Even though her best friend is the one that lied to me_, Regina thought bitterly.

While she had calmed down some, Regina was still quite angry with Emma. Not only that, but she was also deeply hurt that the girl said she couldn't trust her. Sure, two weeks wasn't a lot, but Regina really thought they had something special…

_I shouldn't have let my guard down. Nothing good ever comes from trusting people_.

Soon enough, however, Regina was broken out of her thoughts by a car pulling up in front of her. Mary Margaret unlocked the doors and Regina quickly got in, turning the heaters in the car towards her immediately.

"Hey," Mary Margaret said gently. "Are you-?"

"Still don't want to talk about it," Regina cut her off. "Can we just go back to your place? It's been a long night and I'd really just like to get some sleep."

Mary Margaret nodded, saying nothing. She was happy Regina wanted to come back to her place though—she didn't think her stepsister should be left alone in this state, and she was glad Regina had acknowledged that as well, even if she wasn't ready to talk about it.

The rest of the drive was spent in silence, with Regina resting her head on the window. Although she didn't sleep, she was ready to crawl into the ridiculously comfortable guest bed and Mary Margaret and David's apartment.

When they got into the apartment luckily David was still in bed; Regina didn't want to talk to him either.

"The towels are in the linen closet if you want to take a shower," Mary Margaret whispered. "I'll get some extra clothes and put them on the guest bed."

"Thank you," Regina replied softly. She turned around and put her arms around her stepsister, hugging her close.

Mary Margaret returned the hug, knowing Regina had to be really hurting to be seeking any kind of affection; she wasn't normally a very touchy-feely person.

After a moment Regina pulled back and wiped the few tears that had gathered in her eyes.

"Goodnight," she said, her voice slightly husky.

Mary Margaret cupped Regina's face and gave her a small smile. "Goodnight," she replied. "I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

Regina just nodded, then made her way to the bathroom to take a quick shower. Once she got out she moved into the guest bedroom, glad to see that Mary Margaret had laid out her most comfortable t-shirt and sweatpants.

As she put her old clothes on the dresser in the room, her phone fell to the floor and lit up with a text message.

_Emma_.

Regina hesitated, unsure if she should open the message or not. _This could make everything worse_, she thought. _Or everything better…_

Shaking her head, she decided to just read the message. No sense in getting into a panic over something that was already turned to shit; or so Regina thought.

Hands only slightly shaking, she unlocked the phone and was met with just two words.

**I'm sorry.**

Regina let out a shuddering breath, tears forming in her eyes once more. _She's sorry? Well that's great, but it still doesn't change that she lied to me…_

Shaking her head once more, Regina decided to just let it go. As much as she didn't want to, she knew that if she talked to Mary Margaret in the morning it would help. For now, she just needed to sleep.

She lay down on the bed, the events of the night immediately catching up to her and making her fall asleep instantly.

The next thing Regina knew, she was woken up by the sunlight streaming in through the windows. It took her a second, but soon she remembered where she was and all that had happened the previous night.

Regina let out a large sigh; it was time to face the situation and get perspective from Mary Margaret. She could smell coffee coming from under the door and knew that Mary Margaret and David would already be awake.

Getting up from the bed with a groan, she made her way over to the door and opened it. She could then hear voices softly coming from the kitchen, and followed the sound to the doorway.

David noticed her first, giving her a soft smile and a blessedly subdued, "Good morning."

"Morning," Regina all but groaned.

"Coffee is right over there," Mary Margaret said, much more chipper than her husband. She was naturally a morning person.

After pouring herself a cup of coffee, Regina went to join the two at the table. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Mary Margaret couldn't stand it anymore.

"So are you ready to tell us what happened yet?"

Regina stared at them for a second before answering. "Emma has a son."

Clearly not expecting that answer, Mary Margaret started choking on her drink.

"What?" she gasped.

Regina nodded grimly. "I was sitting with her in the hospital; she still hadn't woken up, but I was talking to her, apologizing for my mother and the accident. I was ready to tell her I loved her and then her best friend walked in with this little boy… her son."

"Oh honey," Mary Margaret said sympathetically. "Well I'm sure she had a good reason for not telling you."

"Yeah," Regina let out a bitter laugh. "She said it's because she doesn't trust me."

"Really? Emma said that?" Mary Margaret questioned, sounding a little skeptical.

David, who had been sitting silently, finally spoke up, looking like the epitome of a light bulb moment.

"Hold on a second," he said. "Emma… does she have long blonde hair? Stunning green eyes that are the perfect match of her son's?"

Regina gaped at him, "You know her?!"

"Well I don't _know her_ know her, but she came into the hospital a few weeks ago. Her son got hurt playing around on the playground. I'm not sure if you had started seeing her yet, but I do remember thinking the two of you would be a good match," David said, matter of factly.

"You're telling me the cast on that kid's arm… that was put on by you?" Regina said in disbelief.

David chuckled, clearly not seeing the severity of the situation. "Yeah, small world right?"

Regina, however, was just getting more annoyed. "Even _you_ knew about the kid before me," she muttered, not caring that it was just because he was David's patient.

"Hey," David said softly. "I know you feel betrayed, and you have every right to, but Emma's friend is the one who brought him into the emergency room first and at first I thought she was the mother from how they were interacting. But then Emma came rushing in, with all the protection of a mama bear looking after her cub and there was no doubt in my mind that she was the mother. Through the brief five minutes that I spent with her even I could tell that that kid is her entire world; you have to understand that parents never want to jeopardize their children."

Regina sighed, thinking over David's words. Emma did say that she had never been in a relationship before in order to protect Henry's feelings.

Mary Margaret, recognizing the look on Regina's face, spoke up again. "How much did you really let her explain about the situation?"

"We may have started fighting before she really got the chance to explain further that she just wanted to keep it from me…" Regina replied, her face scrunched up.

"See?" Mary Margaret replied softly. "I think you should go talk to her again, and try to work through this some more."

"But," Regina interjected, her voice becoming much quieter. "She also asked me about Daniel."

Mary Margaret and David paused, looking first at each other, and then at Regina in shock. Then, Mary Margaret seemed to gain more understanding.

"That's why you were so upset isn't it? Because you were talking about Daniel?"

Regina nodded grimly. "That's what we were fighting about in the car—right before we crashed. She wanted to know what Cora was talking about and I didn't want to get into it. Some good that did, huh?" she said with a self-deprecating laugh.

"The crash wasn't your fault," David said, putting his hand on Regina's. When she gave him a questioning look, he gave her an awkward look before explaining, "I called the hospital this morning and they directed me to the cop in charge of what happened. Your light had only just turned red—the person who hit you was already running a red light, and they were highly intoxicated from Christmas celebrations."

"How in the world did you find all this out?" Regina asked in shock.

"I may or may not have told them I was your husband," David replied, looking a little guilty. "Your car is also unfortunately beyond repair…"

Regina sat in silence for a bit, processing the information. Before they could say anything more, however, her phone started to ring. As she looked at the screen her heart started to race—it was Emma.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N**** Here's the next chapter! But I've got finals next week and then I'm going on vacation for a week over Christmas and I won't have my laptop so I'm not sure when I'll be able to update next. So please leave reviews on what you think and what you want to see :)**

"Neal," was the first thing Emma said when Regina answered the phone, moving back into the guest room.

"What?" Regina asked incredulously.

"Neal," Emma repeated, "Was Henry's father."

Regina didn't know what to say, but luckily Emma took the silence to continue.

"I was seventeen and he was my first boyfriend… and of course my first love. Until now he was-he was my only love," Emma took a shuddering breath before continuing. "I was also young and naïve, and he made me believe that we would be together forever. He promised he would never leave me, and I believed him.

"When I first realized I was late I didn't know what to do. I mean I had never had parents—how could I possibly be a good mother? Ruby was my first call and she told me she'd support me with whatever I wanted to do… she even told me she'd stay with me to tell Neal but I insisted on doing it on my own. I mean sure it was a surprise, but I was delusional in believing that he really did love me no matter what, and we could raise this child together.

"So I told Neal one night at dinner. We didn't have a lot, but I still managed to make us something decent. At first he seemed supportive; at least to my blind eye. But he started pulling away, until one day I came home from my waitressing job and all of his bags were packed. He left and I haven't seen him since. While Ruby has been with me the whole way, Neal is the reason I've never trusted anyone. I wasn't lying when I said I haven't dated because of Henry, but it also wasn't the complete truth… it's because of Neal, too. But you changed that and I- I messed it up. And I'm sorry."

Regina could fully hear Emma crying on the other end of the phone now, but she still wasn't quite sure what to say. How could she have known?

"I understand if you still don't want to see me anymore," Emma whispered. "But I just wanted you to know."

The two sat in silence for a moment before Emma said in a resigned voice, "Okay, I guess that means-"

"No, wait!" Regina exclaimed. "Just wait. I need time to think."

She sighed; Mary Margaret was right when she told Regina that she needed to hear Emma's side of things, but now she still wasn't sure what to do.

"I'll call you later okay?" Regina said. _One way or the other…_

There was a pause before Emma answered. "Okay. And I also wanted to say thank you, you know for staying with me at the hospital that whole time. And being good to Henry even though you were blindsided."

"It's no problem," Regina replied curtly.

"I guess I'll… talk to you later," Emma said.

She sounded tired, Regina noted, and while it must have been from the accident, Regina imagined that part of it could be because of her as well. That feeling didn't sit well with her.

Regina shook her head, happy Emma couldn't see her.

"Goodbye," she said softly, ending the call.

As she put her phone beside her on the bed, she lay back, wondering what she was going to do.

….

Emma sat in her hospital bed, a frown prominent on her face. She knew Ruby was right when she told her to explain things to Regina and give her time, but that phone call didn't give her much hope.

She was glad Regina had answered, but Emma hoped she didn't need much more time. She also wasn't sure if Regina noticed her mention of love…

"Ugh!" Emma groaned, running only her left hand through her hair and then staring at the right side of her body in even more frustration. If she couldn't even be angry properly how was she going to last six weeks in these casts?

_Not to mention the physical therapy_, Emma though bitterly. _And how expensive it is…_

Soon enough Ruby walked in with Henry, breaking Emma out of her thoughts.

"Mommy!" the little boy cried.

"Henry!" Emma exclaimed back, putting on a happy face for her son. He was all that really mattered now.

Ruby set him down gently on Emma's left side before giving her friend a quick kiss on the cheek and sitting down.

"You're hurt Mommy," Henry said, his lower lip trembling a little.

"I am," Emma answered in a serious tone. "But you know what would make me a whole lot better?"

Henry shook his head with a somber expression.

"How about a kiss from my favorite person?" Emma told him, glad to see his eyes lighting up at her answer.

The little boy scrambled up on his knees to give his mother a sloppy kiss on the cheek, before flopping down on her chest.

Ruby noticed Emma wince briefly from the pain in her ribs, but then she wrapped her left arm around her son and breathed in his scent, closing her eyes for a second before meeting Ruby's gaze.

"All better?" Ruby joked, her voice not as upbeat as it was normally.

Emma gave her a grim smile, aware of the fact that Henry couldn't see from the position on her chest.

"Of course," Emma responded. "How could anyone not be after a Henry kiss?" she said, poking her son's sides gently. She was rewarded with a small giggle, which in turn made her own expression light up briefly.

Ruby observed the two for a second before speaking again.

"I'm gonna go find the doctor so I can ask about your physical therapy," she said. Emma knew that Ruby was determined to help her pay for it, and she was letting it slide for now but ultimately she knew she would have to scrape the money together herself.

As Ruby walked out of the room, Emma shifted her and Henry's positions to be more comfortable and then began rubbing his back.

"So what did Santa bring you?" she asked him, feigning excitement as if she didn't already know. Ruby had brought him home early this morning to receive his presents, and while she promised to take pictures Emma was still heartbroken she didn't get to see his face. She thought it would be better than making him wait, however, so now she could just hear him tell her about it.

Henry's eyes lit up and while he excitedly told her all about his Christmas morning, Emma let his voice calm her down and forget about Regina for now.

….

A few hours later Regina arrived at the hospital, driven by Mary Margaret. David took it upon himself to look for a new car that she could get as quickly as possible, but for now she would have to deal with public transport and relying on her stepsister when possible.

"Are you sure about this?" Mary Margaret asked, putting her hand on Regina's arm.

Regina took a deep breath, and looked up at the hospital.

"Yes," she replied firmly. "This is what I need to do."

"Okay," Mary Margaret said, a bit uncertainly. "Well call me if you need me to come back, okay?"

Regina nodded in response, although she was a bit distracted. She opened the door and got out of the car, murmuring a "Thank you" before she shut the door.

As soon as she walked into the lobby she saw Ruby talking to the doctor with a grim expression on her face. Regina rushed over, hoping something hadn't happened to Emma in the last few hours.

As she got closer, however, they realized they were talking about money.

"The insurance will pay for some, but the physical therapy is ultimately up to Emma," the doctor was saying.

Physical therapy… Regina hadn't even though of that. Although, she supposed, with Emma's right leg essentially shattered, it would be necessary. She hadn't known Emma for long, but she did know that this would be tight for her.

Decision made stronger, Regina straightened up and walked towards Ruby with purpose.

"I'm here to see Emma," she said. "Is she awake?"

"I'm not sure that's for the best," Ruby replied, barely hiding her current disdain for Regina.

Regina sighed, "Look, I know you warned me against hurting her, and I didn't mean to do that. But she hurt me too. And now we need to talk. So is she awake or not?"

Ruby eyed Regina, gauging how serious she was. After a moment she nodded, "She should be. I left her with Henry though so I would proceed carefully."

Regina nodded her understanding then walked towards Emma's room. She pushed the door open slowly, and peaked her head in. The sight she saw was enough to make her heart melt a little bit.

Emma was still lying on the bed with Henry curled into her chest, and the two were sound asleep. Henry's little hand was clutched to Emma's shirt, and her face was pressed into his head. There was no mistaking her unconditional love and protection for her son, even in sleep.

Regina felt a brief pang of shame run through her; she yelled at Emma but hadn't even let her explain herself? It was clear she had been telling the truth…

_Well, I'm here now_, Regina thought, moving towards the chair next to the bed. And she would stay here until Emma woke up again.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N**** Okay so I know I said there probably wouldn't be another chapter soon, but it turns out I'm bad at studying for finals so here's a new fluffy chapter for you. Enjoy :)**

Emma slowly woke from sleep, immediately aware of the throbbing pain in her body. She supposed it was time for her regular dose of pain medication. She also became aware of the soft weight on her chest that she recognized as Henry, and then a more unfamiliar weight on her hand.

She opened her eyes quickly at the feeling, and felt her heart stutter at the sight of Regina slumped over the bed holding her hand. She gently squeezed the hand, trying to wake Regina without waking up Henry.

"Wha-?" Regina groaned, before looking around and seeing that Emma was awake. She sat up with a jolt, but kept her hand around Emma's.

"Emma," she breathed out, her eyes filling with tears.

"Regina…?" Emma questioned, nervous, but hopeful. "What are you doing here? I mean not that I'm not glad to see you, of course I'm glad to see you, but I thought you said you-"

Regina chuckled softly; she hadn't realized how much she had missed Emma's rambling in the past two days.

"I know I said I needed time, but really I didn't need that much time," Regina took a deep breath. "Emma, I'm sorry."

"But-"

"No," Regina said. "Please just let me finish.

"I was upset with you for lying to me, but I overreacted, and for that I truly am sorry. I told you all about my past, yelled at you really, but I wouldn't even listen to your explanation. You had good reason to not tell me about Henry—I mean we have only known each other for a few weeks… and, well, Henry certainly is precious enough to protect."

Regina finished talking and gently but hesitantly moved her and Emma's hands to Henry's back. Emma looked at Regina with a watery smile, about to respond when Henry started waking up from the movement.

"Mommy?" he asked, looking up at her with sleepy eyes.

"Hey sleepy head," Emma said gently. "Look who's here to see us."

At that Henry quickly turned around and saw Regina sitting next to the bed, smiling at him. He gave her a shy smile in return, but then burrowed back into Emma's chest.

"You remember Regina right?" Emma said nudging him. "She's Mommy's friend."

Henry nodded softly but didn't say anything else.

"How was your Christmas Henry?" Regina asked him with a small grin. "Did Santa bring you a lot of cool stuff?"

Henry nodded again and gave her a soft, "Yeah."

Emma poked his side, causing him to let out a soft giggle and squirm a little. When Regina saw Emma wince in pain at the movement, she tried to step in once again.

"Hey Henry, I think Mommy needs some more of the medicine that's helping her get better, do you want to come with me while I go find the doctor?" she asked him, holding out her hand.

Henry looked to Emma, who nodded, and then he took Regina's hand, letting her pick him up off the bed and set him back on the ground. Emma mouthed "Thank you" to Regina before they left the room and hoped they would be back quickly.

She was happy that Henry seemed to be reacting relatively well to Regina though. Since she didn't date and he wasn't in school yet, Henry wasn't often around a lot of people. Emma knew it wasn't great for him to be so isolated, but she couldn't help it that she had a hard time trusting others with her son. She just hoped the two of them were faring well alone now, even if it was only to get the doctor.

….

Regina walked out of the room slowly so Henry could easily match her pace. His hand was still in hers, and she was glad that he didn't seem inclined to let go, no matter how shy he was acting.

"So what did you get for Christmas Henry?" Regina asked, hoping he would be a bit more responsive.

"A Spiderman action figure," he mumbled, "Um and a racecar rug and, um, _Frozen_."

"The movie _Frozen_?" Regina asked; she was surprised a little boy would like that movie, but thought it was especially adorable when he nodded with a tiny grin.

"I love Elsa," he said softly. "And Sven!"

"Oh you like the reindeer, huh?" Regina said, laughing at his responsive giggle and nod.

They were now at the nurse's station, where Regina let one of the nurses know that Emma was awake and in need of her pain medicine. Instead of going back to the room right away, however, she had an idea.

"Hey Henry," she asked the little boy. "How would you like to do a small surprise for your mom?"

"Yeah!" he nodded enthusiastically.

"Okay we just have to go downstairs for a few minutes then," she told him. "Can I pick you up to move faster?" she made sure to ask, not sure how the little boy felt about being carried around.

Henry nodded again and reached his arms out for her; as soon as he was settled on Regina's hip he rested his head on her shoulder in comfort. Regina smiled; feeling like her heart was going to melt. Now more than ever she hoped that her and Emma could work things out, because Henry was the most precious child she had ever met and Regina wanted to keep both of them in her life.

As they made their way downstairs Regina found her way to the hospital gift shop.

"Now let's pick out some balloons and flowers you think Mommy will like!" Regina said. She reluctantly put Henry back down so he could pick things out, but he grabbed her hand again before dragging her around the store.

They ended up getting a vase of multicolored wildflowers that had immediately captured Henry's attention, a red balloon because "red was the best", and a giant stuffed swan that Henry had managed to find.

"Like us!" he exclaimed. "Because we're Swans!"

He didn't seem to understand that Regina's last name wasn't also Swan, but she of course had to get the stuffed animal anyway; there was no way she would ever be able to resist that little face now.

Once their purchases were made, the two made their way back upstairs with Henry carrying the swan in one hand and Regina's hand with the other. She carried the flowers and the balloon so Henry wouldn't drop them.

As they arrived back in Emma's room Regina saw that she was sitting up and seemed to be in far less pain than when they left. Ruby was also sitting with her, only now there was a smile on her face as well.

When they walked through the door Emma gasped, spotting the gifts in their hands.

"Regina!" she exclaimed. "You did _not_ have to do this."

"But they're for you Mommy," Henry said innocently. "Just until you can go home and open Santa's presents."

"Yeah Mommy," Regina said mockingly, although the affection was clear in her eyes, "They're for you."

At that tears filled Emma's eyes as a warm feeling rushed through her. Even though she was sitting in a hospital bed from less than ideal circumstances, she really felt that she couldn't be luckier.

…

Hours later and Henry was once again asleep on Regina's lap. She was gently rubbing his back while Emma and Ruby talked softly to each other. The rest of the day had been wonderful—Henry opened up to Regina much more after their brief alone time, and Ruby was acting much friendlier towards her as well now that things with Emma were looking up.

Regina let out a happy sigh and glanced at her phone. It was nearly ten o'clock and she knew that Mary Margaret would be wondering about her. Regina had sent a brief text earlier that things were going well, but not much beyond that.

Thinking about the reaction she would get from her stepsister from the day made Regina groan internally, as did the thought of leaving Emma now. Regina knew she would see Emma tomorrow, but now that they had made up Regina just wanted to spend some alone time with her.

She sighed again, drawing Emma's attention to her.

"Hey," Emma called over to her, "What's wrong?"

Regina grimaced, "It's getting late and I should be calling Mary Margaret to come pick me up soon."

Emma frowned, but nodded. "You'll be back tomorrow though, right?"

"Of course dear," Regina replied, taking Emma's hand.

Emma beamed in response, although it was a loopy sort of smile; the pain medication really seemed to make her much more carefree, but Regina found it adorable.

"Ruby can you give us a minute alone before she goes?" Emma turned and asked her best friend.

Ruby rolled her eyes and smirked at the two, but patted Emma's cheek before moving over to Regina to get Henry off her lap.

"We'll be in the waiting room when you're done," Ruby directed at Regina before leaving the room.

As the door shut behind Ruby, Regina moved to sit on the edge of Emma's bed, keeping their hands linked.

"I wanted to talk to you about something," she said, her tone fairly serious.

"Oh?" Emma questioned. Her heart started beating overtime. _This is it_, she thought. _Regina just wanted to give me one last day before ending it for good. I knew it couldn't be this easy-_

"Emma," Regina called to her, breaking Emma out of her thoughts. "Stop whatever you're thinking right now, this isn't anything bad, okay?"

Regina lifted their linked hands and gave Emma's knuckles a soft kiss before continuing. "When I came in before I heard Ruby talking to the doctor about physical therapy. It sounded like money was going to be a problem. Now before you say anything I just want you to listen to me okay?"

Regina gave Emma a stern look when it looked like she was going to protest, resulting in a sheepish smile from Emma and a nod to go on.

"The accident was my fault," When it looked like Emma was going to interrupt again, Regina put a finger over her mouth to stop her. "It was; you were not the driver and now it's my fault your body is broken in the first place. So I can't just stand by and watch you spend your hard earned money on physical therapy when you shouldn't have to.

"This is _not_ me saying that I believe you aren't capable for paying for your own physical therapy," Regina insisted, knowing that Emma would not stand for feeling inferior. "I am going to pay for it and you will keep your money and buy nice things for Henry, okay?"

Emma sat in silence for a minute with her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Regina could tell she wasn't happy about this deal, but also couldn't figure out a way to protest. Regina smirked; she had accomplished her goal if Emma knew she wouldn't take no for an answer.

Finally Emma met Regina's eyes and beckoned Regina closer with one of her fingers.

After a moment Regina realized what Emma wanted, and chuckled before leaning forward. They kept eye contact for a moment, just feeling each other's breath. While two days wasn't really a long time without intimacy, they both seemed to revel in finally being close again.

Not able to take it any longer, however, Emma surged forward that last bit and finally connected their lips. The kiss was filled with an intense passion, making Regina gasp, before she wound her fingers in Emma's hair, pulling her even closer.

The two became lost in each other, and the rest of the world seemed to fade away. It was only a need for air that broke them apart, but Emma just kept her forehead resting against Regina's. They made eye contact again, before Regina broke the silence.

"So I'll take that as a yes?"

Emma chuckled and hit Regina's shoulder softly.

"It's a thank you," Emma replied, her voice slightly huskier than normal. "And…" she hesitated, "It was an overdue apology. And an- I love you."

She stuttered the last part, and then shut her eyes, afraid to see Regina's reaction. She just couldn't hold back anymore—sure it had only been a few weeks, but she knew what she felt, and those hours that she thought she had lost Regina for good really put things in perspective for her.

Regina, on the other hand, just stared at Emma in wonder. She could tell Emma was afraid, and, she supposed, with good reason. When Regina herself had been about to confess her love right after the accident, Emma had been asleep.

_But she's awake now_, Regina thought. _And she loves you back…_

Letting out a watery chuckle, Regina ran her fingers down Emma's face before cupping her chin gently.

"Emma," she said. "Emma look at me."

Slowly Emma opened her eyes, the hesitance clear, but gleaming with hope as well.

"I love you too," Regina said reverently. "I knew it after the accident… when I thought I'd lost you. I was angry at you afterwards, but I still loved you."

Now Emma was the one looking in wonder; she couldn't believe this was really happening.

Sure they would have their ups and downs, and she would have to figure out how to deal with a serious relationship with Henry around, but Emma was all in, and now she knew that Regina was too.

Suddenly, the future wasn't looking so bad.

**A/N 2: Okay so now I have 2 options for you guys about finishing this story-**

**1. I can finish it within a few chapters and it'll stay fluffy like this OR**

**2. I can extend the story to be (I'm not sure how much) longer, but it will be an angst filled journey with an ultimately happy ending**

**However, I won't write anything else until you let me know what you want, so please do that! And thank you for reading :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N Hey everyone, I hope you all had a great winter break/holiday! I'm sorry this took so long; I thought I would have more motivation to write over break, but then it just got away from me... I hope you all like the newest chapter, and the consensus of votes was that the story will have the angst route. But don't worry, I'll have the fluff moments I already had in mind included :) Please let me know what you think!**

**JANUARY 11**

"Mommy?" Henry's voice innocently asked from the backseat of Regina's car.

Emma turned around in the passenger seat to look at her son, staring wide-eyed back at her. "Yeah buddy?"

"How come I get my cast off but you don't? You're not getting better?" Henry said, his eyebrows furrowing together briefly in contemplation.

Emma sighed, before reaching her arm back to briefly rub Henry's leg in comfort. "I am getting better buddy, it's just taking me longer. You've had your cast on longer than me too, remember?"

Henry nodded, but still didn't look happy with the answer.

"How come you still have to take the medicine to make you strong then?"

Regina, who had been silently driving until this moment, shot a look over to Emma in question. "Yeah Mommy, how come you're still taking the medicine?" she asked in with a slightly warning tone.

"I only have to take it sometimes Henry, because my bones got a lot more hurt than yours did. But soon I'll be strong just like you so don't worry about it, okay?" Emma answered, while also avoiding Regina's gaze.

The past four weeks since the accident had been difficult on everyone. Emma, who wasn't used to being immobilized, was much more irritable than normal, especially from having to rely on others for more than she preferred. Regina and Ruby took turns taking care of both Emma and Henry, but tried to make the care for Emma less obvious. Ruby reassured Regina that Emma had always been a bad patient while sick with anything, and to just try to not let the attitude affect her.

Regina took comfort in all of the moments that the two could be alone, however. Since more help was needed in the apartment, Regina often stayed over to be available for Emma and Henry more easily. Although Emma was wary at first, she had quietly begun to accept how serious her relationship with Regina was becoming.

While they couldn't be intimate with Emma so hurt, they spent their nights reveling in being close to each other and just talking to each other.

It was this practice that Regina was preparing to rely on to have a talk with Emma about the still continued use of her painkillers that night. For now, however, they just had to get through this quick hospital visit with Henry so that he could get his cast off.

The car pulled into the parking lot of the hospital that all three knew too well by now. Emma had only been released just last week, and she was not happy to be back so soon.

As the car came to a stop, Regina made sure to get out first and grab Emma's wheelchair from the trunk. Since Emma couldn't use her arms for crutches, it was necessary to be in the wheelchair. The only person glad about this development was Henry, because he would get rides on Emma's lap while Regina would push them.

The makeshift little family made their way into the hospital where they were met with a familiar face.

"Mr. David!" Henry cried out, wiggling around a bit on Emma's lap.

"Hey Henry!" David replied enthusiastically. He walked around to Regina and gave her a big hug before leaning down to pinch Henry's cheek playfully. "How are you doing little man? Ready for that cast to come off?"

"Yeah!" Henry shouted, causing Emma to wince briefly as his mouth was right by her ear.

Regina rubbed Emma's neck from behind, and then leaned down to pick up Henry. David then took control of Emma's wheelchair and led them into an empty exam room.

Regina set Henry down on the exam chair in the middle of the room while David wheeled Emma right next to it so she could hold Henry's hand. Regina stood on the other side of Emma in a show of silent support.

"So what are you gonna do once this cast is off, Henry?" David asked, trying to distract the little boy who couldn't seem to sit still on the chair.

"Play!" he shouted excitedly, with a little belly laugh.

The adults in the room laughed as well; Emma was glad that the stress of the past month hadn't seemed to touch her boisterous son.

"Aunt Ruby can do airplanes again," he started to list excitedly, before trailing off with a frown, "But… I want to play horses with Mommy."

Emma grimaced at that comment; one of her son's favorite games was to ride on her back like a horse, but clearly they wouldn't be able to play that game for a long while.

Regina, feeling Emma tense up, interjected, "What's that Henry? Do you think you could play with me instead?"

Henry started to nod with enthusiasm, while Emma let out an undignified snort before covering her face in embarrassment. "I cannot _wait_ to see that," she said with a smirk in Regina's direction.

"What? You don't think I could play this horse game?" Regina asked with mock offense.

"Sure, I can totally see you on your hands and knees going for a wild ride," Emma replied with a wink, causing Regina's face to flush with the innuendo.

The two stared at each other heatedly for a minute before David coughed, bringing them back into the moment.

"Well we're all finished here," he announced, gesturing towards Henry's now cast-free arm. The little boy raised his arms in excitement, before wiggling them around with a silly face.

"Look what I can do!" he shouted.

The adults in the room chuckled once again, thoroughly amused by the little boy's antics.

"Alright little man, it's time to get going now so Aunt Ruby can have dinner with us before going to work," Emma said.

David carefully put Henry onto Emma's lap, before turning towards Regina and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I'll see you soon?" he asked her.

Regina looked towards Emma briefly before nodding her head. "Yeah, I'll call Mary Margaret tonight or tomorrow and we can set up dinner hopefully."

"Okay," David replied. "And we better be seeing you two as well," he said to Emma and Henry.

"Yeah!" Henry said, not having a clue what he was agreeing to.

Emma shook her head at her son with a smile and then looked back up to David. "I would love dinner, just as long as I don't have to cook it!"

David chuckled, "Mary Margaret loves cooking for people so you don't need to worry about that. We'll see you soon then," he said with a wave as they moved to leave.

"Home now?" Henry asked, looking up at Emma.

"Yeah we're going home," she replied.

Regina was silent but couldn't help thinking about the fact that she was now also starting to consider Emma's place home. Maybe she would bring up that tonight as well.

…

Later that night Regina came into Emma's room after carrying Henry to bed. Emma had said her goodnights before hand, and kind of enjoyed that Henry would let Regina put him to bed. The pair's relationship had blossomed, and Emma often prayed that nothing would happen.

Now Emma was situated on her bed with the small TV in the corner of her room playing softly.

"Hey," she said when Regina walked in.

"Hi," Regina replied with a small smile. She made her way over to the left side of the bed and cuddled up to Emma's side.

The two sat in silence, and Regina could practically hear the wheels turning in Emma's head. Finally Regina couldn't take the silence anymore.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked softly.

"The new semester starts next week," Emma said. "I don't know how I'm going to be able to go to classes like this."

Regina let out a light sigh, and then started to run her hand up and down Emma's arm. "We'll work it out. Your professors are already aware of the situation, and I think they'll understand if you're late occasionally or have some problems getting your art finished."

Emma nodded, but didn't say anything else. Her eyebrows were still furrowed in thought, and she didn't seem to be soothed at all.

"Hey," Regina interjected, now running her thumb against the frown lines of Emma's forehead. "Can I ask you something?"

The seriousness of her tone caused Emma to look down and her heart started to beat double time.

"Of course," Emma replied, her tone slightly shaking.

Regina took a deep breath, obviously troubled.

"When Henry mentioned you taking those pills today… I thought you were supposed to be off of the prescribed pain killers by now?"

"I am," Emma said quickly. "I mean… sometimes if I'm trying to keep up with Henry when you're not here I get worn out more quickly. And then I'll just take one. It helps. But I don't take them regularly."

"The doctor said you shouldn't be taking them at all," Regina protested. "And the more you wean yourself off of them the easier it'll be once you start physical therapy."

Emma scoffed. "Physical therapy is going to be shit no matter what. You'd rather me be in pain instead?"

"No, no, that's not what I'm saying," Regina soothed, running her hand down Emma's arm once more. She took her head off of Emma's chest so she could look Emma in the eye. "I'm just worried about you. I want you to get better. So does Henry; he needs his mom."

"He has his mom," Emma said in a curt tone. "And I'm fine. But I'll stop taking them once I start physical therapy, okay?"

Though Emma was saying the right words, she wouldn't keep eye contact. Regina felt more concerned than she had before the conversation started, but she knew that there would be no reasoning with Emma now.

_I guess I'll just have to keep a closer eye on her_, Regina thought. _Maybe I'll bring it to Ruby's attention to_.

A silence fell over the pair once again, along with a small underlying tension. A soft sigh fell from Regina's lips before she settled against Emma once more.

"Goodnight," she whispered.

"Night," Emma replied gruffly. After a moment she pressed a kiss to Regina's head, but it was a while before either of them succumbed to sleep.


End file.
